What's in the tree?

[Sandi]

Phillip wrote: "Quicksilver

Only Audible purchase I never finished."

And that's only 1/3 of the print edition. I gave up on the book 120 pages from the end.

[Sean]

Quicksilver is an odd book. I ended up enjoying it, but I can see why some people might not like it - I think you have to be interested in stuff like Newton's life and the development of modern economics. It doesn't quite fit as a work of sf/f.

For me, I just couldn't finish Cloud Atlas. I got the impression that the author wanted to play at writing genre fiction, but lacked any experience with it. So he just started throwing in tropes because that's all he knew. Kind of like how Star Trek: Into Darkness had a lot of references to the franchise (especially Wrath of Khan), but the writers didn't seem to understand what they were referencing.

[Kyle]

I'm probably the most extreme example of the "what's in the tree" effect. When I read science fiction I actually want fiction about science, whereas the rest of the human race apparently wants science flavored character dramas. Authors who venture into my kind of concept based writing are instantly attacked for it. It's gotten to the point where I search reviews for "lack of character development" as selling point, because maybe then it'll be about the concepts for a change.

Needless to say, this is somewhat alienating. I tend to want a new category of SF called "Conceptual SF" or something. But then I think, dammit, it's already called "SCIENCE Fiction", and I'm not the one in the wrong here. Or, in great words of Michael Bolton from Office Space, "No way. Why should I change? He's the one who sucks."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADgS_...

[John (Taloni)]

Kyle wrote: "When I read science fiction I actually want fiction about science, whereas the rest of the human race apparently wants science flavored character dramas. "

THIS! Asimov is cold? Niven characterless? Phooey! Gimme that kind of writing every day and twice on Sunday!

[Kevin]

Sociology and psychology are sciences too. Science Fiction has always for a large part been about social concepts and the effect of science on society rather than the science itself. See Dick and Leguin. Pure "hard" science based science fiction has always been a niche.

Besides having a real science focus shouldn't have to exclude having interesting characters.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

Not genre, but the only thing I can think of right now that fits the analogy are the poems of Yeats, which leave me worst than cold. He was a bloody awful poet, and some of them actually create that feeling I associate with biting cotton wool. Why I have had to study his poetry is beyond me. What are other people seeing when they give his work so much attention?

There are a bunch of novels people love that I can't enjoy, but they do not fit the analogy of this thread. These are the discworld books and the hitchhikers books. With these, I can see what is in the tree, but am not in the right position to appreciated them, perhaps? I love the discworld games (even reading the booklet that came with one of the games had me giggling) and the tv adaptations have been great. I loved the tv version of hitchhikers, and recognise, and am amused by any references I may catch in conversation etc. It's just that my mind does not (will not) appreciate that kind of humour in the shape of a novel. I will recognise the joke, appreciate the joke (a cow genetically engineered to WANT to be eaten = brilliant!) but the story gets lost in the silliness, and I find myself not giving a damn what happens to any of the characters. Maybe this would be okay if the jokes actually made me laugh, but they more make me nod my head and think 'yes, that is an amusing detail'. They just don't effect me like they should do in this format. I sometimes wonder if I'd like them better in audio format. Maybe I'd get a better view of what is in the tree in that way.

[Alex]

Anything YA for me. So many books in that genre that are (over) hyped and every one I've tried (Hunger Games, The 5th Wave, Daughter of Smoke and Bone etc.) and I don't get nor like any of them! o_O